Shogo Hanai

BACKGROUND: The incidence of syphilis has been rising globally but effective screening strategies are lacking. Preoperative syphilis screening is commonly performed at Japanese hospitals for infection prevention purposes. However, its effectiveness in improving subsequent management is unclear. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of universal preoperative syphilis screening testing implemented at a Japanese tertiary care hospital from April 2017 to March 2023. The annual prevalence of positive preoperative treponemal tests was tracked, and subsequent clinical management for patients with a positive test result was investigated. Attributes of patients with a positive result who were more likely to receive further evaluation were also elucidated. RESULTS: In total, 82,439 patients underwent surgery during the study period. Preoperative treponemal testing was performed in 94.8% (78,170/82,439) of the patients. A positive test result was recorded in 544 (0.70%) with an annual positivity rate ranging from 0.61 to 0.83%, whereas the proportion of presumed active syphilis ranged from 0.02 to 0.08%. A total of 85 patients with a positive syphilis screening test, a nontreponemal test with a positive titer, and without history of syphilis were identified. Of those, only 45 patients (52.9%) received further evaluation. CONCLUSION: The positivity of preoperative treponemal testing was low despite the rising incidence of syphilis in Japan, and the prevalence of presumed active syphilis identified during the preoperative period was even smaller. Routine treponemal testing in the preoperative setting had limited utility in effectively identifying patients with active syphilis.

OBJECTIVES: Consultation with infectious disease specialists is associated with reduced patient mortality in the care of patients with Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB) through appropriate management of complications including infective endocarditis. This study aimed to determine the rates of confirmation of a negative blood culture, implementation of echocardiography, and administration of appropriate antibiotics in patients with SAB at a university hospital in Japan that provides general internal medicine and not an infectious disease consultation service. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study at Dokkyo Medical University Hospital in Japan. Patients eligible for inclusion in the study were ≥20 years of age with ≥1 positive blood culture for S. aureus identified in a clinical microbiology laboratory. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients with confirmation of a negative blood culture, implementation of echocardiography, and administration of appropriate antimicrobial agents. RESULTS: A total of 109 patients with SAB were included in the analysis. Follow-up blood cultures were collected in 91 patients and negative results were documented in 88 patients. Follow-up blood culture collection was performed within 4 days of the initial blood culture collection in 49 patients. Echocardiography was performed appropriately in 40 patients. Appropriate antibiotic therapy was administered in 36 patients. CONCLUSIONS: Quality-of-care indicators were more commonly implemented in patients with SAB who received general internal medicine consultation than in those who did not.

Pivoxil-containing cephalosporins can result in symptomatic hypocarnitinemia in children. We herein report a case of an 85-year-old man at risk of carnitine deficiency who developed relapsing symptomatic hypoglycemia after treatment with cefcapene pivoxil for urinary tract infection. On admission, laboratory tests showed low blood carnitine concentrations with low normal blood ketone levels. The patient was successfully treated by the oral administration of levocarnitine and dietary modification, including aggressive consumption of meat and dairy products, and remained symptom-free for nine months after the correction of carnitine concentrations. Healthcare providers should be cautious when prescribing pivoxil-containing antimicrobials to patients at high risk of hypocarnitinemia.